Opposition leader charged with treason before vote

HARARE, Zimbabwe -- Just days before the presidential vote, the main challenger to President Robert Mugabe was charged Monday with the capital offense of treason for allegedly plotting to assassinate the Zimbabwe leader.

Morgan Tsvangirai denied the allegations and pledged to continue campaigning for the March 9-10 elections, the most contentious since the country gained independence in 1980.

"This whole thing is contrived to damage me politically. The timing is obvious," Tsvangirai told reporters, adding that it was the ruling party's "strategy to eliminate me from the race."

Mugabe, the southern African nation's only leader since winning independence from Britain, is fighting for his political survival as Zimbabwe's economy collapses and political violence rages.

Police questioned Tsvangirai, president of the Movement for Democratic Change, Zimbabwe's main opposition party, for two hours Monday. He was charged with treason, released and told he would be summoned later, he said. Treason convictions carry the death penalty in Zimbabwe.

Police spokesman Wayne Bvudzijena confirmed the treason charges but would give no further details.

In Washington, a State Department spokesman said the charge "falls against a backdrop of a very well-documented campaign of violence and intimidation against the opposition."

"We're aware of no convincing evidence that there's any basis for these allegations," said the spokesman, Richard Boucher.

Zimbabwe has been wracked by political violence over the past two years that human rights workers, opposition officials and international observers blame mainly on ruling party thugs' efforts to intimidate opposition supporters in advance of the election.

Not arrested yet

Tsvangirai's lawyer, Innocent Chagonda, said it was "highly improbable" prosecutors would have time to put a case together before the election.

Mugabe said last week that he would not have Tsvangirai arrested before the elections despite allegations of the assassination plot.

The government says Tsvangirai met with members a Canada-based political consulting firm last year to arrange for Mugabe's "elimination."

Ten days ago, the firm released a secretly recorded videotape of a Dec. 4 meeting in Montreal, which they said incriminated Tsvangirai.

Tsvangirai said his recorded remarks were taken out of context.